


What's Another Night All Alone?

by Grungey_Romantic



Category: The Ramones
Genre: (i mean so was he but still jesus fuck he needed help), Childhood emotional abuse, Hurt/Comfort, Joey is just trying to help okay, Johnny needed some fucking help, Kinda?, M/M, References to unrealized crush, Sleep Deprivation, We Do Not Like Johnny's Dad In This Household, his dad was an asshole, i need to stop getting emo over johnny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:47:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23026519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grungey_Romantic/pseuds/Grungey_Romantic
Summary: Johnny learned a lot from his dad. He's left to think about it during another sleepless night on tour.(Title from "I'm Just A Kid" by Simple Plan)
Relationships: Joey Ramone/Johnny Ramone
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	What's Another Night All Alone?

**Author's Note:**

> Note: I have no clue if any of this happened. But if you look up stuff about John's childhood, you will find that (unfortunately) the playing a little league game with a broke toe and his father not liking him crying are both true, and that really seems to be just a start. Johnny did not talk too much about his childhood, but from what he did share, I doubt he got out of that without being at least a little more mentally fucked than he let on. 
> 
> Also, did you know Joey's sunglasses were actually prescription?

Johnny learned a lot from his dad growing up. 

He learned how to play a little league game on a broken toe. 

He learned how to not complain. 

He learned to not be a baby. He learned discipline. 

He learned his hands would stop shaking when people yelled if he yelled back louder. 

He learned how to make his insults cut deep, how to make his own skin thicker on the surface, like the calluses on his fingers. 

He learned he couldn’t count on everybody else, anybody else, for anything. He learned how to be independent. 

He learned to pretend he was all that when he wasn’t. He learned a few nights of no sleep (more by himself, but he’s sure it might’ve been his father’s influence). He learned his fucking place. 

And for fuck’s sake, he didn’t need help. 

Really, he didn’t. Forget what the guys kept saying. He was fine. He was perfectly normal. The one mentally stable one in the band, for Christ’s sake! He didn’t need help. He didn’t need help, he didn’t need help, he didn’t- 

Johnny blinked back the tears forming from keeping his eyes open so long.

(There was no other reason he would cry. Babies cried. His father didn’t raise a baby.)

He was fine, he still had shit to do, he couldn’t sleep til it was all done. He looked at the small clock on the hotel room’s bedside table 

_ 3:45 AM _

He shook the hair from his face, looking out the window. He could rest when he finished everything, but he had to wait until it was what most people considered a reasonable hour. Until then, he’d focus on the view from the window he was currently sitting on the sill of, knees to his chest, chin on his knees. Joey’s quiet snores being the only sound in the room. Johnny must have zoned out, because he didn’t notice the room going silent for a few minutes before it was disturbed by a groggy voice.    
  
“John? What are ya still doing up?” 

Johnny jumped slightly, turning to look at the voice’s owner. Joey was half up, supporting himself on one arm, with his shades missing. 

No, his breath didn’t catch in his throat. He’d seen Joey without his shades plenty of times. He obviously couldn’t sleep with them on. 

  
  
(Though it might’ve been the first time he hadn’t had them on while awake, and he might’ve slept shirtless, and the moonlight might’ve been falling on his pale form just-)

Johnny shook his head to clear his thoughts. “Still got shit to do, but I’d wake up everyone else.” He mumbled, forcing himself to look back out the window. He must’ve been coming down with something, his stomach felt weird when he looked toward the singer. He’d be pissed if he got sick now. 

“Then go to sleep ‘til you can do it.” Joey mumbled, sentence broken by a yawn. 

“Can’t do that.” Johnny muttered, rolling his eyes. 

“Why not?”

“Cause-” Johnny cut himself off for a second. Why did he do this? “Cause rest is a reward, Joey. I gotta do everything first, or I never get it done.”   
  
“John.” Joey said, sitting up more. He could see his reflection in the window. “Johnny, we  _ always _ have shit to do. You’d never sleep if you go that way. When’s the last time you actually slept?”

“I’m fine, Joey.” When  _ did _ he last sleep?

“You’re not answering me.”   
  
Johnny sighed. “Just… go back to sleep.”   
  
“Not until you do.”

“Joey-” His voice had an edge to it, but he couldn’t tell himself what kind. 

Joey gave him a look, eyes squinted slightly, but only like he was having trouble seeing.    
  
_ He’s too fucking soft. _

Joey got up suddenly, quietly padding his way over to Johnny and the window. Johnny made a point to not look at him. “John, just go to sleep? Please?”

“Joey, I can’t-”

“ _ John, I swear to God-” _

Johnny felt himself stiffen up slightly. “Joey, I am fine. Go back to sleep.”

“You’re really not. I’ll ask again, when’s the last time you slept?” 

“I said I’m fucking  _ fine _ !” Johnny snapped, turning to shove Joey away. He was too close. His stomach had the weird feeling again. He felt too small. His eyes burned and for once he wasn’t sure if it was fatigue or something was wrong. He could see Joey’s face. He wanted him to put his fucking shades back on because he could see his hurt expression and it gave him a weird feeling in his chest.

_ You’re not a baby. _

He wasn’t a baby, he could go a night without sleep and survive, he played just fine, he- 

He didn’t realize he had zone out until he noticed he was on the previously empty bed, Joey crawling back into his own.    
  


“Breath, and go to sleep, John. We have time tomorrow.” 

He couldn’t make out the rest of the words as he slipped into sleep’s embrace. 


End file.
